Businesses have been starting their digital transformation journeys even before the pandemic. But with the new operational conditions of the Covid-19 era, these same organizations are accelerating the rate of transformation to add more value for their clients and customers.
Despite having these ideals, however, this transformation depends on the role that leaders and their employees play. That is why the biggest hurdles to overcome for these companies include organizational complexity, inadequate skills, and employee burnout – and this projection extends for the next two years.
“For many, the pandemic has knocked down previous barriers to digital transformation, and leaders are increasingly relying on technology for mission-critical aspects of their enterprise operations,” said Mark Foster, senior vice president of IBM Services.
Foster believes that an increase in focus regarding the infrastructure within an organization today, is a must. In fact, the data sourced from IBM’s study entitled “COVID-19 and the Future of Business” revealed that six out of ten global C-suite executives accelerated the pace of digital transformations in their respective organizations.
These efforts are also bolstered by the lack of traditional barriers like technological immaturity and employees opposing change, giving more space for leaders to execute digitization initiatives without resistance. The catch, however, is that there is still a major disconnect between executives and their workforce – the former believing that the upskilling initiatives are being met while the latter knowing that it actually does not.
In the Philippines, a large 72% of executives are saying that they are supporting the physical and emotional health of their workforce, despite only 24% of these same executives are prioritizing workplace safety and security. That number is already leaps and bounds compared to two years ago when it was just 2%.
That is why IBM reminded leaders to create a transformational strategy that revolves around the target users – the employees. So far, there has been a 20% bump in the number of organizations prioritizing cloud technology and AI investments, 60% have already accelerated process automation, and 76% will be prioritizing cybersecurity.
“Looking ahead, leaders need to redouble their focus on their people as well as the workflows and technology infrastructure that enable them, we can’t underestimate the power of empathetic leadership to drive employees’ confidence, effectiveness and well-being amid disruption.”
